Month: February 2016

Director Steve Petersen has quite a few projects on his Vimeo channel but the one that stands out the most is his most recent action sci-fi short, Erebus. It’s all mainly conceptual courtesy of Petersen via his Big Machine banner, although I’d be lying if I said it didn’t pack a helluva punch, because THAT it does, in spades!

The following is a short film based off Craig Fernandez’s feature script EREBUS. It was directed by Steve Petersen and produced through his studio Big Machine. It is intended to show his vision and approach to the material.

The action sequence is choreographed by Aaron Toney who is involved in Marvel’s biggest films. The unique and complex characters are brought to life by an ensemble of incredibly talented actors. And the artists at Big Machine helmed the visual effects sequences.

Beneath the layer of action and sci-fi – the core story is one of a person trying to find himself and find his place in the world. Who am I? What is my destiny? How do I fit in? With a dash of dealing with love for the first time. …all themes that deeply resonate with filmmaker Steve Petersen.

Aaron Toney is definitely a name to remember when you want to look up great fight pieces online or in Hollywood. He’s done some amazing work both in front and behind the camera as a top tier stuntman in Hollywood, and he surely makes a case for the latter with actor Power Rangers: Dino Charge co-star Yoshua Sudarso front and center.

If there were ever a pair of filmmakers to keep an eye on, it’s Leroy Nguyen and Fernando Jay Huerto, the arbiters of the longstanding hit shortfilm series, Do The Damn Thing. Made with nothing but a love for film, comedy and Hong Kong action among like-minded creatives since 2009, the project now comes to a close with a total of eight performers hailing from five indie film groups, all of whom share the respective cinematic universes of both Nguyen and Huerto via Rising Tiger Films and Jabronie Pictures.

These are people who’ve contributed greatly to the unyielding call for better action and choreography for a market hungry for quality stunts and storytelling, and not for nothing either as its helped each of these folks advance their respective careers in film little by little. For now though, we get this darling labor of love that also reintroduces a slew of cameos, including a final bow from Jabronie mainstay Neil Aguilera among its colorful characters, and as always, an emotive musical outro to last the ages.

Jay (Fernando Jay Huerto) hears that Alex (Alex Chung) is visiting San Diego to meet Neil (Neil Aguilera), Jay’s cousin. When Jay goes to meet up with Alex, he reunites with Andy Long (Alex Chung) instead. Soon after, Jay hears that Lester (Leroy Nguyen), a former brother-turned-enemy from the past, has come back to San Diego to meet up. Upon meeting with Lester, Jay and Alex run into Kung Fu Panda (Eric Nguyen), his brother Irvin (Irvin Nguyen), and Neil-fanatic Anthony (Anthony Noceda). Once Lester summons his brother-in-arms Edmond (Edmond Shum), a battle ensues that the likes of the Do the Damn Thing series has never before seen. This is the end-all test fight to…end all…test fights…

As the 10th and final entry into the indie-action short film series, Do the Damn Thing – Ultimate sees the series’ creators Leroy Nguyen and Edmond Shum collaborate (many for the first time) with Fernando Jay Huerto, Alex Chung, Eric and Irvin Nguyen, and Anthony Noceda. Series’ staple Neil Aguilera makes his final onscreen appearance, as he announced his retirement from dying onscreen shortly after the completion of this short film. Representatives of Mr. Aguilera had no further comments at this time.
On a serious note, this short film is a “THANK YOU” to EVERYONE who has chosen to watch our work over the years, and who continue to stick with us. This one is for all of you.

You can view all previous nine shorts by commencing the playlist here. Otherwise, number ten is just below. Enjoy!

It’s February of 2016 and less than four years since director Pete Travis graced us with Dredd 3D, possibly the single best out of two cinematic film adaptations inspired by its 2000 A.D. comic book publication. Alex Garland’s script was a miracle work that pits actor Karl Urban in the title role along with actress Olivia Thirlby as a humanoid clairvoyant serving as a rookie Judge for the Hall Of Justice.

The two ultimately end up heading to a delapidated slum in Mega City One known as Peach Trees, owned and controlled by its biggest drug lord, Ma-Ma, played by actress Lena Headey. When our Judge and his assigned rookie get there, they get more than their money’s worth when Ma-Ma traps them, essentially waging war with our protagonists.

The film garnered huge critical support, but after bombing in the box office, sequel hopes deteriorated, and despite support for a second installment, the film’s producers and even Garland and Travis have gone on record saying that Dredd 2 would be a no-go. This is a disappointment I will never live down as it just goes to show what happens when a good thing falls victim to its past demons; I suspect that l peoples’ ire toward the previous Sylvester Stallone starrer had an affect on peoples’ judgement, on top of the film’s light marketing…either way, I seriously hate that more people didn’t show up for this movie.

Urban’s performance is the most signature to date on top of the overall vision and tone one can easily akin to Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 crime epic, Sicario. The visuals were amazing, the action is blistering and brutal, and we got characters and a script that gave this film the seriousness it needed to work next to some of the most far out and explosive action sequences by far.

This, as slow as it has come to pass, has evidently led to fans’ hopes for at least a Netflix series that can carry over what the film gave us. Will it happen? That’s entirely up to the powers that be. Otherwise, Travis’s 2012 masterpiece is one to bookmark for the ages.

Moreover, I’m glad I saw this film in 3D, because the fools who chose not to support this film really missed out on some of the film’s most fantastic moments like this:

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I purely suggest you prioritize it as of this article. It’s on DVD, Blu-Ray, Digital HD and VOD wherever it is sold. And buy it too. Don’t just rent it, BUY it.

Deadpool may be all the hype this week, but we have a little more than a month to go before the epic release of Zack Snyder’s newest, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. You can guarantee your superhero movie diet won’t end anytime soon from here on out as the film continues to generate its fair share of excitement; personally, I haven’t hugely been excited for it due to the trailers as opposed to the first teaser and current TV spots as I have been feeling the trailers kept missing something.

No, I didn’t want to see the DC Trinity or Doomsday though it was nice, but with new Batman movies on the horizon with actor Ben Affleck possibly reprising beyond the Justice League canon, really, what I’ve been wanting to see were some Batman sequences that could lend us something to sample with after seeing Henry Cavill’s explosive take in 2013; The funny thing is, I didn’t even really know I had come to this feeling until the final trailer arrived this week, and to be forthright, I’m fuckin’ pumped!

Following his titanic struggle against General Zod, Metropolis has been razed to the ground and Superman is the most controversial figure in the world. While for many he is still an emblem of hope, a growing number of people consider him a threat to humanity, seeking justice for the chaos he has brought to Earth.

As far as Bruce Wayne is concerned, Superman is clearly a danger to society. He fears for the future of the world with such a reckless power left ungoverned, and so he dons his mask and cape to right Superman’s wrongs. The rivalry between them is furious, fueled by bitterness and vengeance, and nothing can dissuade them from waging this war. However, a dark new threat arises in the form of a third man: one who has a power greater than either of them to endanger the world and cause total destruction.

The superhero stand-off that the world has been waiting for is finally arriving in cinemas, with an all-star cast bringing to life the characters we all love. Zack Snyder (300) returns as director following the huge success of 2013’s Man of Steel, along with Henry Cavill (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) in the role of Superman. Also starring Ben Affleck (Gone Girl) as Batman, Amy Adams (American Hustle) as Lois Lane, and Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 7) as Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an explosive, action-packed blockbuster that is sure to thrill DC fans everywhere.

Watch the trailer now and get your tickets early when you can, because Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is going to have its day with a new and fully blooming superhero movieverse, and a freshly inducted Batman that finally looks great on screen for once.

Animator Guy Collins did something remakable late last year I didn’t know existed until Thursday this week. Sadly, like most videos on YouTube his hit shortfilm, Kaizo Trap, was freebooted on Facebook which is why I’m sharing his work here directly.

There’s, no dialogue here and the great thing about it is that there’s none needed. It’s a story of what happens when a girl’s surprise gift for her boyfriend ultimately threatens to come between them in the worst way, and what plays out is an emotive, epic adventure layered with action and gore, a killer soundtrack by Leslie Wai, and Collins’s brilliant animation stemming from a bygone era of gaming that only 80’s and some 90’s babies will probably understand.

Kaizo Trap will undoubtedly be one of the best things you will see on the internet, ever. Watch it now on Collins’s YouTube channel and if you come across this on Facebook in a freebooted upload, correct the record and share the YouTube link so Collins and Wai can get the credit they deserve, because they really do.

Action star Wu Jing’s solo outing last year in the jungle commando thriller, Wolf Warrior, certainly lended some appeal with Brit-kicker Scott Adkins added to the fray. However, the film itself was much more disappointing than preferred with respect to its structure throughout, especially regarding the action, and I say this bearing in mind the final fight scene in which Wu and Adkins go toe-to-toe for the first time.

HK veteran action director Nicky Li coordinated the fights as per his usual partnerships with Wu, and having seen Li’s previous work, my most favorite being the 2007 thriller, Invisible Target, at present, clearly Li knows how to direct solid action.

Alas, I was left wondering what went wrong here. Apart from the strenuous and enduring challenges of the production, Wolf Warrior was a let down regarding its most key fight scene. It’s got some moments that look great, but when watching this fight, I simply wanted more than what was already in the trailers before, and unfortunately, this was all we got.

Well Go USA has a clip of it available, and to be honest, what you see is pretty much the entire fight scene with exception to its brutal finish. At the end of the day when all the gun battles were had, it would’ve been nice to see a better fight scene. But, for better or worse, it’s Wu V Adkins, and it’s a fans’ delight, generally. What are your thoughts?

It’s disheartening to see anyone we know and love suffer from an ailing disease. The same especially goes to actor Ken Watanabe who was initially supposed to go back to New York City to reprise his role in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I.

Instead, the actor reportedly underwent stomach surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, according to several reports. As per MSN.com‘s latest coverage:

Craig Bankey, Watanabe’s press agent, said Tuesday the actor has undergone endoscopic surgery and is recuperating at a hospital in Japan. In a statement, the actor said: “I would like to ask for your understanding that the start of my performance in New York will be a little delayed.”

I love Watanabe as an actor having seen him in The Last Samurai and Godzilla among others, and have often aspired for him to be in films I’ve yet to see movement on; Personally I wouldn’t mind him playing the role of Heihachi Mishima in a live-action Tekken film. But that’s just me, and I’m sure stomach surgery would ultimately be the kind of thing to keep a person abstaining from anything too physical.

At any rate, Broadway is his next stop after this, and I really hope he gets well soon.

If there’s one thing I’ve become especially proud of in the last 10 years or more is how less and less obscure Chinese cinema has become. Acclaimed screenwriter Xu Haofeng is a terrific example of this and with respect to his latest teaser for The Final Master, retitled from its native release last year and repackaged for its upcoming North American release from United Entertainment Partners.

The Final Master is a martial arts film set in a transformational time period in China before World War II. Based on director Xu Haofeng’s best selling novel, The Final Master follows a Wing Chun practitioner’s adventure to open a martial arts school in the northern center to fulfill his master’s death wish. He has to secretly challenge eight martial arts schools with his apprentice, but he does not realize he’s been turned into a chess piece within the power game in the martial arts community at the end of an era.

Watch the teaser and expect more content to come between now and its May release!